Great news what VMWare Server beta is now a free download … http://www.vmware.com/products/server/.
Even better news is that several vendors have pre-build images so you can see how their products work with minimal installation learning overhead ….. these include workplace express …. http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/vm/ibmworkplace.html
A full list of vendor images is here : http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/vm/
Stu Downes 